Zhenglun Pan: Forerunner of Rheumatology in China

Qian Liu

In the past few years， China's health care industry has made great progress during its economic boom. Rheumatic and immune diseases have become major killers of humans because of their high rates of disability and mortality. The primary task of rheumatologists is to provide better care to patients through innovative research. Rheumatology， as an important branch of medical science， has grown stronger and stronger. Zhenglun Pan is a senior expert in rheumatology in China and has made contributions to Chinese health-care.

Z henglu n P a n wa s a post doc tora l fel low i n rheumatology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine years ago. In his 20 years of medical career， he has accumulated a wealth of theoretical knowledge and clinical experience， and has made great contributions to the research of diffuse connective tissue diseases， vasculitis and joint diseases.

Rheumatology and immunology is a very demanding medical field for doctors. Zhenglun Pan has been standing in the forefront of clinical work for many years， creating a new world. He stands out with solid practical experience， diligent efforts and extraordinary calmness. In 2017， a severely ill 19-year-old woman who had been suffering from lupus erythematosus for two years because of bleeding from thrombocytopenia was admitted in his ward. He organized a team to carefully watch for bleeding and other symptoms and recommend effective treatment. Ten days later， the patient's vital signs gradually returned to normal. A young life was saved by Zhenglun Pan. This has become a popular story in the field of rheumatology in China. As a medical expert， Zhenglun Pan has made breakthrough achievements and great contributions in the field of rheumatism in China.

Zhenglun Pan was a leading figure in rheumatology and a prolific writer. He has published more than 30 papers in international and domestic authoritative journals such as Plos Medicine. He is the leader of many national or provincial research projects， such as "researchon clinical diagnosis and treatment techniques for ankylosing spondylitis"， "application of single nucleotide polymorphism to study the mechanism of TLR2 and TLR4 signaling pathways in rheumatoid arthritis" and "evidence based research on genes associated with rheumatoid arthritis". His research in rheumatology is very fruitful. The successful completion of many projects has earned him a reputation.

Rheumatic diseases involve multiple systems with strong heterogeneity and variety. More than 200 million Chinese suffer from rheumatism. More than five million of them have rheumatoid arthritis; about 5 million people have ankylosing spondylitis and more than 1.2 million have lupus. As people pay more and more attention to health and the progress of medical technology， more and more patients begin to seek better medical services. This means that rheumatologists must have more specialized knowledge. For many years， Zhenglun Pan has been committed to improving the academic level of rheumatism and the ability to prevent and cure rheumatism and immune diseases. At the same time， he has stepped up public awareness campaigns to encourage people to take preventive measures.

In the past few years， Zhenglun Pan has won many honors for his outstanding professional knowledge and research. His honors include "outstanding physician for providing medical insurance services to patients"， "top 10 young doctors"， "outstanding individual research fellow" ， and "outstanding young doctor”. He is also "Member of American College of Rheumatology， young member of Chinese Society of Rheumatology， member of Qingdao Medical Association， deputy director of Clinical Pharmacology Committee of Shandong Pharmacology Society. The honor he owned is a great responsibility to promote the development of rheumatism in China.

Zhenglun Pan has devoted his life to the study of rheumatism. Under his efforts， the Chinese rheumatology will usher in a new era.